1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device suited for sifting dirt. More specifically, the present invention pertains to a dirt sifting device having a frame, trusses, and a filter screen, wherein the device is suited for being placed over top of the open upper surface of a wheelbarrow and wherein the filter screen is capable of separating dirt from rocks and other debris.
Sifting dirt is a task that is commonly undertaken by gardeners to remove rocks, weeds, and debris from dirt or soil. Dirt is scooped into a wheelbarrow for the gardener to sort through by hand in order to identify and remove any unwanted substances. Sifting through dirt by hand is a laborious and time consuming process that requires the gardener to manually remove unwanted materials from the dirt. This process of manually removing unwanted materials also poses the problem that the gardener may not identify each weed or rock existing in the pile of dirt. Manually removing unwanted materials also requires the gardener to pay close attention to the dirt as it is being sifted.
Other devices for sifting through dirt are known but include a variety of drawbacks. Hand sifters may be available that allow the gardener to pour dirt that needs to be sifted into the hand sifter to remove unwanted materials. However, the small surface area of a hand sifter limits the amount of dirt that can be sifted at any given time. Thus, a user wanting to sift a greater quantity of dirt would need to continually sift small portions limited to the size of the hand sifter. Hand sifters and other small sifting devices still require the user to expend much energy and time sifting through a pile of dirt in order to properly remove unwanted materials.
The present invention relates to a dirt sifting attachment for a wheelbarrow that is capable of being placed over the upper surface of the wheelbarrow. The present invention comprises a continuous frame and trusses that bridge one side of the frame to the other. A filter screen is attached to the frame and is supported by the trusses so that the filter screen at least partially covers the open upper area of the wheelbarrow. The filter screen allows dirt to pass through and fall into the wheelbarrow, while preventing rocks and other debris from passing through. When the device is placed over the top of the wheelbarrow, a user could shovel dirt onto the filter screen and dirt would pass through into the wheelbarrow, while rocks would roll down the surface of the filter screen and onto the ground.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Devices have been disclosed in the prior art that relate to separating wanted and unwanted materials. These include devices that have been patented and published in patent application publications. The following is a list of devices deemed most relevant to the present disclosure, which are herein described for the purposes of highlighting and differentiating the unique aspects of the present invention, and further highlighting the drawbacks existing in the prior art.
One such device exemplifying the art is U.S. Patent Publication No. 2002/0144935 to Tims, which describes a sifter attachment for a wheelbarrow that can be used to sift wanted materials from unwanted materials. The device in Tims comprises a rectangular bin having an open upper end, walls, and a closed lower end, wherein the lower end has a number of drainage slots. The bin is attached by one or more hinges to the front outer edge of the wheelbarrow. The hinge allows the bin to pivot from a position outside the wheelbarrow to a position inside the wheelbarrow, so as to allow the user to dump the contents of the bin into the wheelbarrow by rotating the bin about the hinge. The device in Tims was principally designed for use in horse stalls so that a user could scoop manure into the bin and dry shavings would fall through the drainage slots and the manure would remain in the bin, which could then be emptied into the wheelbarrow for later disposal.
The device in Tims is suited to separating wanted and unwanted materials but suffers several drawbacks. The device in Tims is not easily removable from the wheelbarrow and must be attached to the wheelbarrow using a hinge. The separating device in Tims also serves to collect the debris and undesirable material while allowing the desired material to fall to the ground. Thus, if the user wants to collect the desired material, the device disclosed by Tims is of limited use. Additionally, the drainage slots may not be suited for applications other than sifting manure from dry shavings, in that the drainage slots may not be the appropriate size for filtering the desirable from the undesirable material.
Other devices known in the art suffer from a variety of drawbacks. Hand tools or sifters require the user to hold the sifter in one hand and scoop dirt with the other. This is an inconvenient arrangement, and the user is limited in the amount of dirt that can be sifted at a time. Hand sifters are not practical for sifting a large pile of soil, and are more suited to sifting smaller portions of soil. Filters or screens for use on the ground, or that are otherwise not for use with a wheelbarrow, are also problematic. Such filters allow a user to separate unwanted materials from the dirt, but the sifted dirt collects in a pile on the ground underneath the sifter. Sifting dirt onto the ground requires the user to shovel the sifted dirt into a container or into a wheelbarrow. This requires the user to expend more time and energy once the dirt is sifted.
In light of the devices in the prior art, it is submitted that the present invention is substantially divergent in design elements from the prior art, and consequently it is clear that there is a need in the art for an improvement to existing dirt sifting devices adapted for use with wheelbarrows. In this regard the instant invention substantially fulfills these needs.